


Little Bird Quirks

by greywords



Category: The Avengers - All Fandoms
Genre: Claire and Nat buddies, Genderswap, Multi, femClint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-06
Updated: 2012-09-06
Packaged: 2017-11-13 16:39:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/505565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywords/pseuds/greywords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or, Five Strange Things about Claire Barton, and One Not So Strange Thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Bird Quirks

1.) Sleeping Habits

Claire Barton doesn't sleep well. When she lays still, her body itches, telling her to get up and move and be active. She doesn't get that itch when she sits up and leans back on something. More often than not, she'll sleep like that, sitting up with her back against something solid (the headboard, the comfortable chair in Tony's lounge that Bruce likes, Steve's chest as they watch television together).

She never means to sleep like that, and she always wakes with an ache in her neck and shoulders, but she'd sometime kill for a good nights sleep and it's better than nothing.

2.) Food Fun

"Who left the ice cream out on the counter?" Bruce holds the container up with a small frown, pale pink ice cream dripping off of it. "It's completely melted and all over the place."

The team, all sprawled about the lounge and fighting over the remote because Tony wants to watch something with explosions and Steve was watching an old wartime documentary, looks up and then over to Claire.

Claire glanced up to them, spoon stuck between her teeth, then to Bruce and smiled a sheepish smile.

"Whoops. My bad."

Claire doesn't mention that she'll only eat her ice cream in half-slurry form, and leave the container out on purpose to soften it up.

If Tony would finally fix the microwave, she wouldn't have to leave it out.

3.) Hiding Places

When she hears Phil coming to find(corner) her for official SHIELD business, she scrambles into the nearest air duct, crouching and moving along it. She has a mental map for getting through the area without being seen, and she can probably make it to the stairwell and up to the roof to hide and watch the city as she desired.

She hears Phil beneath her and snickers, peering down from the vent and watching him grow a bit red with frustration.

"Barton, I know you're up there, get down here."

"Hm. No."

"Barton!" Claire gives a cackle and moves through the ducts, checking beneath her whenever she reached a vent to see what there was to see.

She pauses over the lab, sees Bruce working with that intense look on his face and numbers rolling across the hologram board as his fingers flew over the buttons.

She stops and takes a break over the gym, she sees Steve working out and contemplates going down to surprise him, but the door to the gym opens and Phil moves into the room and she flees down the ducts again.

Twice she sees Natasha stalking about the halls and she whistles for her once.

"Claire, stop hiding from Phil."

"I don't wanna deal with paperwork."

"You're being a child." Nat's brows knit together in frustration and she just giggled and left  down the ducts again.

These hiding games are too fun.

4.) Twist and Twirl

Claire almost loses it when she sees Steve's face as he comes into the gym and sees her practicing on the gymnastics bars.

She spins up and holds herself in a handstand, her shirt riding up slightly to reveal just a tiny sliver of pale skin before she spins back down and with a graceful flip, lands on her feet before the soldier.

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

"The circus. I've got a few other tricks too." She winks and his face darkens another shade before she scurries off to the locker room with a grin.

5.) Bite and Kick

Claire Barton knew how to fight like a soldier, like a spy, and even how to fight dirty. The first two were taught to her, the last she taught herself as a kid in the circus.

The last person she fought dirty with was Natasha, and it wasn't even a real serious fight. (Unless you count the tussle she got into with Tony, that is.)

When she drags Steve's feet out from under him, or slide out of his grasp with a flip and a twirl, she smiles a devil's grin and pats him on the cheek.

She'd havta cheer him up somehow later. Steve could be a sore loser.

+1.) Migraines.

Claire was prone to severe, almost crippling migraines. They left a sour taste in her mouth as her head throbbed and nothing but total darkness and silence would quell it. She got them thanks to her profession and every mission that stretched more than two days meant her head was pounding for an additional two days, keeping her off her feet rather effectively.

Nat helped cure them, bringing her gentle foods for her to eat and warm drinks for her. Cool and warm compresses to lay on her head and face. And always rather effective pain medications.

Nat had no problem sitting silently in the dark with her, stroking her fingers through her short hair and softly coaxing her to eat and take the medicines she brought her.

Tender moments with her dear friend were the highlights of the moments of static in her head.


End file.
